BVH Architecture is a purpose-driven
design practice committed to an
immersive and collaborative creative
process. We aim to create architecture
which enhances and inspires the
community in which it serves.
BVH Architecture has engaged in the design and
preservation of our built environment through
the practices of architectural design, interior
architecture and planning since 1968. Our studio
locations in Lincoln and Omaha are home to multidisciplinary design staff hell-bent on making the
world better by design.
At the core of our practice lies the desire to do
more with built environments than simply meet
minimum requirements. How can we create
spaces that actually transform a person’s life?
Every project seeks to answer this question to
further the practice of architecture, betters our
communities and provides inspiring design to our
clients.
As architects and designers of the built
environment, we take our responsibility to our
community and our craft very seriously. We are
optimistic and hopeful in our approach, pursuing
architecture through the lens of our Core Beliefs:

A COMMITMENT TO PEOPLE
We go beyond building design and
invest in our community through
an authentic, collaborative and
meaningful dialogue. We’re
interested in the multiplicity of
voices—not just our own—to build
consensus among everyone involved
and impacted by our projects.
THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE
Our practice draws inspiration
from immersive research and
investigation—we love to learn. As a
result, our projects respond to the
context of their place, material and
time.
A SENSE OF WONDER
We believe design excellence
combines the tenets of function,
economy, performance and beauty.
When these tenets converge, our
projects have the chance to inspire,
creating a sense of wonder.

Project
72ø
04 ­— 05

THE PROJECT
When local advertising agency Archrival
approached us to redesign their newlyexpanded Lincoln office, we were thrilled
with the challenge. Given Archrival’s
specialty in youth culture and penchant for
off-beat solutions, their new space needed
to reflect their culture to potential clients
while attracting and retaining the best
talent around. We saw this as the perfect
opportunity to engage our next generation
of young designers and architects in a
new way. After all, who better to design
for a youth culture expert than their own
demographic?

THE CLIENT

THE NAME
The client’s No. 1 request? Keep the project
a secret until it was revealed to Archrival’s
employees at their annual event. Hiding the
project under a pseudonym based on their
own address—720 O Street—was risky, but
that’s the name of the game, brother.

PROJ ECT 72 Ø

Archrival is a leading creative agency with
a focus on youth culture. With studios in
both Lincoln, NE, and Portland, OR, the fastgrowing company’s roster includes clients
such as Pepsi, Red Bull, and Adidas.

06 ­— 07

THE DESIGN CONTEST
Millennials comprise about 30% of BVH’s
employees. While this generation has a
growing impact on our studio culture, many are
still learning the ropes of design delivery, and
are often under the direction of a senior leader
or project manager. We wanted to give these
young designers the freedom to experiment,
explore, and lead their own projects.
Eleven designers—all 20-somethings, from
design interns to licensed architects—
formed four teams tasked with creating
unique solutions for the client. During
the month-long competition, designers
participated in three open studio sessions
to discuss ideas and challenges within the
project, with two senior architects acting as
impartial facilitators.

PROJ ECT 72 Ă&#x2DC;

The result was a dynamic, competitive
process that invigorated the entire studio,
impressed the client, and gave our designers
an opportunity to show off. The teams then
pitched their concepts to the client, who
awarded the winning design with a green
light and a big old thumbs up.

THE CHALLENGE

08 ­— 09

As a critical practice, we make it a point to
look beyond the surface problem to get
at the underlying issues inherent in each
project.
The client recognized their own need for
a revitalized space, with specific needs
regarding their current culture and future
growth. A brief, supplied by the client to the
design teams, gave an important look into
their current workspace­—what worked, what
didn’t, and what they felt was needed to help
them move forward.

While these parameters gave the teams
necessary checkpoints to guide their
solutions, it was our challenge to ask the
deeper questions:

PROJ ECT 72Ă&#x2DC;

How can we position our
client to grow and mature
while retaining their
youthfulness? How can
we use physical space to
celebrate what made their old
home so greatâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;their people?

CLIENT’S NEEDS:
+ Inspires us, wanting us to work there
because it draws us in

+ Strong understanding of who we are
and doesn’t lose that texture in the
design

10 ­— 11

+ Doesn’t look like a typical ad agency

(lots of glass and funky furniture) but
is new

+ Clever, super smart ideas that drive
the style

+ Addresses our specific needs
+ Meets budget

PROGRAMMATIC NEEDS:
PRESENTATION SPACE

A stage and space with big bleacher seating for up to 50 people.

WORK SPACE

A total of 50 potential work spaces, five semi-private.

PRIVATE SPACE

Three audio-private spaces for conference calls or small
group meetings.

PRODUCTION SPace
KITCHEN

A nice kitchen with two commercial fridges, microwave,
dishwasher and commercial sink.

Redo of the production room to be better all around,
including more storage.

12 ­— 13

“The most challenging aspect was
definitely having the constraints of
a budget to think about.”
­­—— KAITLIN FRANKFORTER

PROJ ECT 72 Ă&#x2DC;

Designers Kaitlin Frankforter, Brittany Coudriet, and
Ryan Hier, AIA, present their final proposal to the client.

14 ­— 15

THE TeaM
At BVH Architecture, we believe in utilizing
everyone’s skill sets to their highest and best
purpose. We also believe that the best idea
should win. In order to achieve both while
approaching the client’s problem from the
right perspective, these eleven designers
were challenged to compete, collaborate,
and ultimately create the best solution
possible. Their job was to not only exceed
the client’s expectations, but to learn and
explore through design.
THE PROJECT MANAGERS

MARK BACON, AIA

CLEVE REEVES, AIA

STATUS /
ARCHITECT

STATUS /
ARCHITECT

GARRETT PETERSEN

STATUS /
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN

STATUS /
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN

BRITTANY COUDRIET

JOSH PUPPE, AIA, ASAI

STATUS /
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN

STATUS /
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN

KAITLIN FRANKFORTER

ADAM SITZMANN

STATUS /
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN

STATUS /
PROJECT COORDINATOR

MICHAEL HARPSTER, AIA

ZACH SOFLIN

STATUS /
ARCHITECT

STATUS /
ARCHITECT

RYAN HIER, AIA

TRISTAN VETTER

STATUS /
ARCHITECT

STATUS /
PROJECT COORDINATOR

THE TEA M

DAVID ALCALA, AIAS, SARA

MADELINE LAMBERT, AIAS
STATUS /
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN

16 ­— 17

“I enjoyed working with a team of people
around my age. While working with people
with more experience has been greatly
beneficial to me and I’ve learned a lot, it’s
also nice to work with coworkers that are
relatively in the same position as me—it’s
easier to collaborate as a team compared to
more of a mentor/mentee relationship.”
­­—— GARRETT PETERSON

THE TEA M

Project 72Ã&#x2DC; Design Team Meeting No. 01.

Stage
one:
The CoMpetition

THE CO MPE TI TI O N

Three core design review sessions gave teams the chance to test
ideas, explore project goals, and prepare for final client proposals.

22 ­— 23

THE CO MPE TI TI O N

24 ­— 25

PROPOSAL ONE:

FORM
ATIVE
FRAME
WORK

DESIGN INTENT /
Create a modular and permeable element to unify the space.

—Tristan & Adam

FORMATIVE FRAMEWORK

DESIGN DESCRIPTION /
The design aims to parallel Archrival’s ethos as an everadapting company by being flexible while simultaneously
supporting their day-to-day work. Inspired by the quick
veiling and unveiling effect of driving past Nebraska
cornfields, the slatted design embraces and responds
to both the existing structure of the building and the
client’s deep roots in the Midwest. The modular hanging
red wood panels can be moved and removed to open
up or enclose space, to filter light, or to replace it with
an entirely new panel design as the company grows and
changes. The parallax nature of the panels reveals what
lies behind as one moves through and interacts with
the space. This provides an element of excitement and
surprise, revealing more—or less—as the panels are placed
throughout the environment. A length of panels becomes
a permeable wall, partitioning space without severing it
entirely. Ultimately, the simple yet maneuverable design
compliments the complex nature of Archrival’s design
process, giving them the ability to manipulate and modify
their space as needed.

26 ­— 27

SIMPLE. VERSATILE.
RESILIENT.

FORMATIVE FRAMEWORK

CALL
SEMI-PRIVATE
CALL
ENTRY/
RECEPTION

OPEN
CONF.

JAM SPACE

JAM SPACE

CALL

PLATFORM

LOUNGE

KITCHEN

CONF.

RESTROOMS

PRODUCTION

The modularity and spatial logic of the panel wall allow it
to naturally respond to and direct the working space.

28 ­— 29
CONCEPT RENDERING OF HANGING PANELS
WITH GRAPHIC OPTIONS.

FORMATIVE FRAMEWORK

30 ­— 31

“It’s nice to not be constrained by the limitations
that we typically deal with on a design project.
This is thanks to an open-minded client who
likes big ideas.”
­­—— ADAM SITZMANN

DESIGN DESCRIPTION /
This solution was a response directed by an understanding of who Archrival is: informed, bold and divergent. This
response sought to reflect and lend credibility to Archrival,
while creating a space that ignites team collaboration.
It began with the conventional grid, laid out across the
space. The grid was then selectively transformed as an
organizing principle driven by the unique ways Archrival
uses their space. Data collected about individual environmental preferences was incorporated into problem-solving
algorithms to begin shifting and reshaping a rectilinear
grid to match and meet the preferences of each user. The
resulting form was both responsive and organic. Extrusions of this grid began to inform individual desk spaces as
well as intermittent collaborative spaces, creating a network of circulation to inspire impromptu interaction and
collaboration. Division of public and private function was
demarcated by a shift between the rectilinear grid—representative of public space—and organic grid—private studio.
This data-driven design aims to strike a geometrically bold
balance between the lively impromptu collaboration and
unique work spaces that innately reflect who Archrival is.

DESIGN INTENT /
A cohesive form built from disparate but responsive parts.

—Madeline & Michael

EXQUISITE CORPSE

DESIGN DESCRIPTION /
Created by 20th Century French surrealist artists, the
concept of an “exquisite corpse” is one of sequential
creation by many individuals, resulting in a single, albeit disjointed, work of art. This concept provides a
framework in which to resolve the medley of smaller
spaces within the larger whole. This approach intends
to transform the space into an inspiring, creative, malleable environment which preserves and celebrates the
collective of unique individuals that make up the client’s
team. Rather than a single diagram, parti, or organizational idea to drive design decisions, the design operated opportunistically, finding unique ways to respond
to existing conditions. The environment the designers
work in directly influences the work produced, therefore it should respond to each circumstance individually,
producing a space that is useful, surprising and affordable. Varying levels of enclosure and privacy encourage
mobility, adaptability and chance encounters within
the flexible environment. Transformable spaces offer
the designers opportunities to create, inspire and push
toward the future of their company while making the
space their own.

JUST
IT
MAKE
F’N
OME
AWES
E
PLEAS

40 ­— 41

“Le cadaver
exquis boira
le vin nouveau.”
MEDIUM GROUP SPACE

OPEN WORKSTATIONS (46 TOTAL)

KITCHEN ISLAND / WORK
SHARED SEMI-PRIVATE OFFICES
BOOTH MEETING

BLEACHER SEATING

PRIVATE GROUP SPACE
STORAGE + SEATING WALL

SMALL GROUP SPACES

PRODUCTION
RECEPTION

CONFERENCE
CURTAINS

CURTAIN

OPEN WORK AREA

SECRET PRIVATE ROOM

EXQUISITE CORPSE

K TABLE

SPACE

42 ­— 43
CONCEPT RENDERING OF PRODUCTION ROOM.

EXQUISITE CORPSE

44 ­— 45

“The most rewarding aspect was that teams
were able to take complete ownership of
their respective project and to operate with
relative autonomy. Our team was able to test
visualization techniques and drawing types
that we hadn’t previously developed for
other projects or clients.”
­­—— MICHAEL HARPSTER

EXQUISITE CORPSE

PROPOSAL FOUR:

46 ­— 47

Wunder
KaMMer
/‘voond r,käm r/
noun
1. A place where a collection of curiosities and rarities is exhibited;
a Cabinet of Curiosities.

DESIGN INTENT /
A workplace that celebrates the idiosyncrasies of the
creative agency.

—Kaitlin, Brittany & Ryan

WUNDERKAMMER

DESIGN DESCRIPTION /
For Archrival, the youthful and creative nature of their
agency has led to the accumulation of a number of
chotchkies representing their individuals and the collective. Rather than leave these items unorganized
throughout the studio, why not curate them through the
design of a wunderkammer? Displayed in multi-compartmented cabinets and vitrines, arranged to inspire
wonder and stimulate creative thought, the wunderkammer celebrates the unique culture by curating the
studio with personal objects. Workstations organically
emerge from the wunderkammer and “jam spaces”
locate themselves around the perimeter, facilitating
chance encounters and create a dense layering of people, allowing creative energy to permeate the studio.
Curating opportunities for open, semi-open and enclosed work spaces, the design accommodates different
working styles while personalized objects, and unique
personalities creates the f’n awesome wunderkammer.